The Cincinnati Reds Player They Should Be Building Around in 2027

The Reds need to build around him.

Sep 1, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Elly De La Cruz (44) and first baseman Sal Stewart (27) stand on the field during a stop in play in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds have seen better days. It's been 14 years since they last won a playoff game, beating the San Francisco Giants on October 7th, 2012. The Reds have a decent core of players that could lead them back to playoff glory, and they should build around one of them for 2027 and beyond.

That player is Sal Stewart.

The Cincinnati Reds Core

The Cincinnati Reds underwent a major rebuild in 2022, trading away Sonny Gray, Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker, Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, and Tyler Naquin. The following season, the Reds saw the emergence of Andrew Abbott, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, the class of 2023. This influx of talent was thought to be the next great core of Reds players.

Only Abbott, Elly, and McLain are still regulars for the Reds in 2026. While Elly has gotten better and better each year, Abbott and McLain have had long stretches of struggle. And Marte is in Triple-A, and CES is in Baltimore. Not ideal. But in 2026, a new core of players is leading the Reds.

Elly De La Cruz, Chase Burns, and Sal Stewart were the standout performers for the Cincinnati Reds.De La Cruz getting a contract extension to stay with the Reds past his last year of team control in 2029 is bleak.

And combined with the fact that the Reds lack upper-level minor league depth to complement the 2027 MLB roster, it will be difficult to field a competitive team around De La Cruz while he enters his prime seasons. Chase Burns has already received his contract extension, and the Reds already have a decent starting pitcher core (Abbott, Lodolo, Lowder, Greene). That is if the pitching core can just pitch to usual standards. But the one player the Reds need to be the center of their next competitive roster should be Sal Stewart.

Why Build around Sal?

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) walks off after being tagged out in the first inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While it would be ideal to build a competitive team right now around Elly De La Cruz after the fantastic season he had in 2026, the Reds cannot do it. The upper levels of the Reds' minors have not produced enough players to field a competitive lineup, and the Reds are stuck right now with Ke'Bryan Hayes' contract and a lack of production. The player the Reds need to build around is Sal Stewart because, mostly, his window for winning in Cincinnati is longer.

Stewart just completed his first full MLB season and is not eligible for free agency until after the 2032 season (unless an extension is offered!). Because the Reds organization is in such a desert at the moment, is bad at the Major League level, and most of their better prospects are in the High-A and Low-A parts of the system, it might be a while before the Reds are good again.

So the player that should be the center of the Reds next competitive roster should be Sal Stewart.